One of the asserted accomplishments in revitalizing Eastern cities has been Hoboken, New Jersey. It is located on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and being directly across from Manhattan, it enjoys spectacular views of New York City. Historically, Hoboken was a downscale New Jersey community, but that ended in the 1990s when developers discovered those spectacular views and built accordingly. So did the local government entities.
Alas, a news item in today’s New York Times (Richard Perez-Pena, As Hoboken’s Reverfront Crumbles, the Cost for Repairs Soars, N.Y. Times, Feb. 8, 2011, at p. A19) brings the sad dispatch that much of that government construction is deteriorating.
“In Hoboken’s evolution from blue-collar port to upscale pocket of bistros and condominiums, the waterfront saw the most profound transformation. Factories and docks gave way to promenades and parks with drop-dead views of Manhattan, drawing crowds that fed the nearby hotels and shops along the much promoted Gold Coast.
“So it is of real concern that much of that lovely, popular waterfront is falling apart.”
“Several pieces of walkway, park and road along the Hudson River have collapsed, and engineers have discovered that a heavily used park needs major renovations to avoid the same fate.”
Who done it? The Times minces no words:
“Sinatra Field was built by the City of Hoboken, Pier A was restored by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, [Frank Sinatra] drive was built by the county, other towns handled their own waterfront projects and the State Department of Environmental Protection reviewed and approved them all.”
We could go on, but by now we are sure you get the idea. The current difficulty is that repairing all these problems will cost money which Hoboken ain’t got. Last year, the city approved a $12 million bond sale to pay for its share of waterfront rehabilitation, but last month the engineers estimated the price would be more like $20 million.
Is it only Hoboken? No. “There have been similar problems in other towns along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, conceived as an unbroken strip from the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge.”
Your tax money at work.